Balaam is one of the stranger characters we meet in scripture. He brings God’s words, but he also tries to curse God’s people. After his first attempt to curse Israel fails, Balaam says the following:
Numbers 23:10 (NKJV)
"Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my end be like his!"
Balaam desired to die like a righteous man. Unfortunately for him, he chose be an enemy of God, going after gain. Balaam died with the Midianites, killed by the Israelites in their vengeance for the way the Midianites lured Israel into apostasy in the way Balaam suggested (See Numbers 31).
Death is ugly. Death is our enemy. But for those who are in Christ, the power of death is broken and will be overcome in the resurrection.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Although we hate death and battle against it, we know that ultimately we will triumph in the resurrection of our bodies, and we know that we do not go through death alone.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
So that leaves us with the question, who are the righteous? Who are the saints of God? Who has been good enough that they can confidently face death knowing they are coming into God’s blessing, and that our end will be like Jacob’s?
Jesus told a parable that answer’s this question.
"9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
In the midst of all his pain, I’ve heard my father calling out to God for mercy upon his soul. It was not the first time he had called upon God, but it has been a great comfort to me to know that unlike Balaam, he was dying the death of the righteous.
Goodbye, Father: Born October 29, 1936. Died December 30, 2004. We will meet again.
